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Wednesday, November 26, 2014

To create three dimensional, almost holographic characters and story
worlds, I believe you have to inhabit your story as if you are living it
yourself. That's the only way I know how to draw authentic characters. I
have to travel deep into the story world on the page and in real life.
I'm a trained journalist so research is a natural part of my work, and
often what I love most about it.I usually spend time in the location of my story world first, regardless
of the time period. My books are set in fairly exotic destinations,
which is just a great excuse for me to explore new cultures. I spent a
winter and summer in Dubrovnik, Croatia for The Sound of Blue, my
second novel set during the Balkan War in the early 90s. I needed to
see the landscape, architecture, the light, the foliage, all the colors,
smells and sounds. I absorbed so much more than I could have ever
learned in a book or online. I made some friends and was able to ask
questions about the war that I would have never been able to learn
otherwise. That level of human interaction is the most valuable resource
for any book I write. I need to immerse myself in the place and get to
know the people first and foremost, even if I have to leap back in time
while I write.

When I was writing my first novel, The Virgin's Knot, I spent
many months traveling through Turkey over the course of a few years. I
needed to know about the rug producing regions and meet the weavers,
because my protagonist was a famous weaver in the 1950s. This brought me
to Konya, Turkey—home of the Whirling Dervishes. I ended up at Rumi's
tomb in Konya.At the time, I had no idea who Rumi was, what he had written or what he
stood for. Everything changed after that day. I literally felt a charge
in the air at the tomb of the tekke, the dervish monastery that's
been converted into a museum, where millions of people visit each year
to pay homage to the great poet and mystic. I couldn't believe I had no
idea who Rumi was and I was eager to learn as much as I could when I
returned to the United States. Fifteen years later, I ended up writing Damascena: The tale of roses and Rumi.

It was during my travels in Turkey when also had learned about rose oil
production. I had a friend and colleague who was traveling with a group
of aromatherapists on a mission to buy rose oil—a powerful healing
agent. I saw an article in the Turkish magazine, Cornucopia. The
pictures blew me away. I had never seen so many rose petals. It was
gorgeous. The writer said something about being able to smell roses as
far as one mile from the distilleries. I couldn't believe that it took
nearly four tons of rose petals to distill one kilogram of rose oil. I
also couldn't believe that rose oil was the binding agent for all
perfumes and could not be synthetically reproduced. No wonder it cost
nearly $1000 for a kilogram of rose oil. I was immediately hooked and
compelled to travel to the world's most famous rose production region,
Bulgaria's Valley of The Roses to learn as much as I could for Damascena.

One of the most magical travel experiences of my life happened during
that trip. I hired a translator, a young woman my age, who had never set
foot in any of her country's villages. She kept kidding me, calling me
"Crazy American lady," when after befriending some of the rose pickers
in a field, I accepted their invitation to pick with them at 4 a.m. the next day. They were actually joking with me but that's why I had come. I wanted to know what it was like to pick the rosa damascena, the kind of roses that yield the most power rose 'attar' oil in the world.

Picking rose petals required my translator to accompany me, and we ended
up in one of the rose picker's houses, sleeping shoebox style in a
single bed, head to feet and feet to head. In the middle of the night,
we left with the other workers to pick roses on a full moon. We climbed
into a truck bed, covered with canvas, sitting knees to chest with only
the cherry embers of cigarettes flashing in the darkness. When we
arrived at the field, the workers continued to smoke, which only
slightly masked the intoxicating scent of roses all around us. I would
have never had this experience if I hadn't prioritized traveling for
research, and I'm so grateful I did.This is where you can find Holly:

Holly Payne's
spellbinding tale brings the unparalleled poet, Mevlana Rumi, to life, and
transports readers to the enchanting world of 13th century Persia. Simply but
elegantly told, the story unravels the mystery surrounding a legendary orphaned
girl, who discovers her gift of turning roses into oil. Named after the
flowering rosa damascena, the girl reluctantly assumes the role of a living
saint for the miracles she performs-longing for the only one that matters:
finding her mother. Deeply wounded by the separation since birth, Damascena
undergoes a riveting transformation when she meets Rumi and finally discovers
the secret of the rose. Imbued with rich historical research and inspired by
the devastating disappearance of Rumi's most lauded spiritual companion, Shams
of Tabriz, Holly Payne has courageously opened herself to receive Rumi's
teachings and offer a timeless love story. An excerpt of Damascena is available to read here: http://hollylynnpayne.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Damascena-Excerpt.pdfBuying Links

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

After
a brutal nuclear war, the United States was left decimated. A small
group of survivors eventually banded together, but only after more
conflict over which family would govern the new nation. The Westfalls
lost. Fifty years later, peace and control are maintained by marrying
the daughters of the losing side to the sons of the winning group in a
yearly ritual.

This year, it is my turn.

My name is Ivy
Westfall, and my mission is simple: to kill the president’s son—my
soon-to-be husband—and restore the Westfall family to power.

But
Bishop Lattimer is either a very skilled actor or he’s not the cruel,
heartless boy my family warned me to expect. He might even be the one
person in this world who truly understands me. But there is no escape
from my fate. I am the only one who can restore the Westfall legacy.

Because Bishop must die. And I must be the one to kill him…

NOTE: I received the eARC directly by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

When
I picked up The Book Of Ivy, I hoped that it would be good. However, I
was in no way prepared for the actual blast of it. The Book Of Ivy is an
incredible read that talks about the values of society and family; the
importance of love and trust; of the sick ambitions of the few who
disregard everyone and everything who dares get in their way to power.

Writing style:Clean
and engaging, this story is told from Ivy's 1st person POV. it captures
the attention and doesn't let go days after turning the last page.

Story line:In
a not so distant future, after a war takes care of the world as we know
it, a community of people form a city with strict rules. People have no
real choice in what they do, who they marry or even when they marry.
Everyone is expected to follow the law, no questions asked, for the
greater good. Just like sheep with no brains. Most of the citizens do
exactly that, but some plan a rebellion, while others just want to do
the right thing.

Themes:- Humanity - or what's left of it- Thinking about the community or following the leader blindly- Selfish thirst for power- Survival- Building love and trust- Sacrifice

Characters:

Ivy
is in no way an ordinary girl. Being the daughter of a powerless (and
power hungry) leader, she's been brainwashed for years in the
righteousness of a cause she knows very little about. What I really
liked about Ivy was that once she was out of the poisonous clutches of
her father and sister, she became open-minded and decided to use her own
brains and become her own person. Not without a price, of course. Her
decision in the end, both stunned me and had me cheering. It showed I
was right about her all along and that Ivy was a strong, spirited
character who knew well what was black and what white.

Bishop,
Ivy's target, and husband, was such a nice guy from the very beginning.
Put in a situation he had no way out of, he tried to make the best he
could do and win the heart of the girl who ruled his own. Bishop,
despite initial appearance of being a part of the flock, had his own
opinions, dreams and view of the world. He didn't openly criticize the
authorities (a.k.a. his father), but he did whatever he could to help
those wrongly accused and 'put out'. He was patient with Ivy, eager to
learn from her and help her adjust in their new life. An adorable and
loveable character.

Victoria, the woman who took Ivy as assistant in the court, was a strong, spirited woman with her heart in the right place.

Ivy's
father and sister I don't even want to talk about. They were so
incredibly selfish, I just wanted to strangle them. It is awful though,
what a person is ready to do in order to get up the ladder.

In conclusion: Do not miss out on this fabulous novel. For fans of Matched, Divergent, The Maze Runner, and other dystopian YA novels. My rating is: